Glucocorticoids, programming and the transmission of effects across generations

Abstract

Substantial epidemiological evidence suggests that exposure to an adverse environment in early life is associated with an increased risk for cardio-metabolic and neuroendocrine disorders in adulthood, a phenomenon termed “early life programming.” One of the major hypotheses advanced to explain early life programming is fetal glucocorticoid overexposure occurring as a consequence of maternal stress, exogenous administration or dysfunction of the placental gluco-corticoid barrier. There is evidence from both human and animal studies for an association between prenatal glucocorticoid overexposure and programming effects on cardiovascular and metabolic systems and on the brain. There is much interest in the potential for programmed effects to be transmitted across generations, including the effects of glucocorticoid programming. This review discusses the evidence for glucocorticoid programming and intergenerational effects in animal models and in humans.